China’s state security apparatus will compile lists identifying key Chinese entities for
counter-espionage work, according to a new regulation rolled out on Monday by the
Ministry of State Security (MSS). Once included on a list, the entity must conduct counter-espionage vetting and training for all personnel with access to secrets, the regulation said. Those personnel must sign non-disclosure agreements before taking on their jobs. In these organisations, counter-espionage training is required before any worker leaves on an overseas trip. Personnel returning from abroad must be interviewed on national security grounds, according to the new rules.
The document released on Monday contains the first counter-espionage working regulations at a national level and across different sectors in China. It covers government departments, social groups and companies and requires more regular effort to maintain national security education across the country. It comes as tensions between Beijing and Washington around ideology continue to bite months into
Joe Biden’s presidency in the United States. Earlier this month, a major annual intelligence report by the Biden administration labelled China’s action as one of the largest threats to the US.
